Confidante
by UnityInDiversity
Summary: One shot, updated to a two shot. First part--Confidante: Booth confides in Angela. Second part--Confident: Booth carries out Angela's plan.
1. Confidante

**Disclaimer: **Bones is property of FOX, Hart Hanson and Kathy Reichs

**Author's note:** I suppose Booth confiding in Angela is rather OOC, but if it ever happened, it could perhaps go a little like this…

**Timeframe:** set sometime after episode 3.10 (The Santa in the Slush)

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**Confidante**

Angela looked wide-eyed at Booth, who was standing in the door opening of her office, nervously hopping from one leg onto the other. She couldn't believe the words she had just heard coming from his mouth. _Was this a dream?_ She pinched herself, her nails digging into her flesh. _Ouch. Definitely not a dream._

"Could you repeat that?"

Booth walked further into Angela's office, closing the door behind him. It would be better to have this conversation in private, he supposed. Although, at this point he didn't care who overheard. Well, save for one specific person. He walked up to Angela's desk and took a deep breath before repeating his earlier confession. "I admit it. You've been right all this time. I love Bones. Am _in _love with her. And, frankly, it's driving me insane. You have to help me."

Angela gulped. She had never expected the agent to be so forthright with her. She had been waiting for this moment for so long, almost to the point she was about to give up her hopes of it ever happening, but now that it finally had arrived, she actually felt shivers running up and down her spine. It was overwhelming. Overwhelming because it meant the two partners were one giant step closer to getting together romantically. Overwhelming because she knew how happy he would make her best friend and how much she needed that. Overwhelming because Booth was here to confide in her and ask for help. She was honored to be his confidante. "What can I do?"

"I need to know how she feels about me," Booth replied as he sat down across from the artist. "And I figured you know her best."

"Well, that one's easy," Angela told him, a bright smile on her face. "She's totally into you, too."

"That's what you _think_."

"It's what I _know_."

"But she's never actually told you that, right?"

"Not in that many words, no. But I'm her best friend. I can tell. I minored in psychology, so I'm pretty good at it."

"As am I and I'm not sure."

"Well, you're biased," Angela told him matter-of-factly.

"Biased?"

"Yes, you only want to believe you're not sure, because you're afraid. Afraid she'll reject you. But she won't. If you'd look at it objectively, you'd see the same thing."

"And you want me to believe _you're_ objective here?"

Angela bit her lip. He did have a point. Perhaps she was rooting for them to get together more than was healthy. But she knew she was right. Their feelings for each other were too obvious to think otherwise. "Maybe not as much as I should be. But it's easy to see you two are so much more than partners. Everyone does. Well, except the two of you. Which, you know, makes it very frustrating for all of us."

"You don't think _I'm_ frustrated?"

"Well, now that you've finally admitted your feelings for her, I can understand how you could be frustrated, too. But again, there's no reason for you to be. She likes you as much as you like her. Trust me. Really, Booth, trust me on this. I never believed Wyatt. She stayed because of you. It had nothing to do with her being unable to lead a purposeless life. That's bull. He just needed the two of you to get back into the field."

The corners of his mouth kicked up in a smile. "Really?"

"Yes, Booth. She stayed because of you."

"So, what do I do?" Booth asked, still quite astonished with himself that he was actually putting his love life in Angela's hands. He normally kept his feelings bottled up inside, but over time he had gotten so frustrated—in more ways than one—that he hadn't seen any other option but to talk to Angela about it. Drastic measures, but he had to do something.

"God, Booth. What are you, twelve?" she laughed. "How about _act_ on it? Go to her office, tell her, kiss her… Better yet, take each other's clothes off and do it right against the wall. Make us all happy."

"Right."

Angela smiled. "Seriously."

He could tell she wasn't actually kidding. "Okay, how about just the first two things…"

"Tell her and kiss her? Do it," she encouraged.

"Going to her office and tell her, were the first two."

"How about going to her office and tell her with a kiss?" Angela suggested and saw that a grin was appearing on his face. "Ah, I give good advice, don't I?"

"The grin? Nah, I was just thinking about something that happened a while ago..."

"Well, do tell," she pressed. That grin revealed it had to be something good.

"Caroline Julian… she has a puckish side," Booth started, deciding that while he was going to tell her, he was going to draw it out a little bit longer just to tease her. Somehow, he felt she deserved that.

"She does, huh? So, what does that mean?"

"It means she blackmailed Bones into kissing me under the mistletoe."

Angela squealed. Again, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. And to think she was going to call in sick this morning. She was glad she was being rewarded for bringing tissues for her cold, instead of staying in bed. "Oh my God, how was it?"

"I got her gum," Booth smirked.

"Ah, so there had to be tongue…" Angela exclaimed. Her morning was only getting better. "So, what exactly are you doing here? What's the problem? You guys kissed already. I don't see why you'd need me."

"It only happened because Caroline made us. And she was standing right there, watching us. I don't think it meant anything… to Bones, I mean."

"Well, there was tongue, so I think it did. Unless that was part of the deal?"

"I don't think it was."

"So, there's your answer."

Booth nodded, although he still looked uncertain and Angela wondered what more proof he needed, what more she could give the man to reassure him.

"Look Booth, you just told me Caroline blackmailed her. Blackmail means there was a choice of some sort involved. You either give in or you don't. I understand that not giving in isn't always easy, but it's still a choice. She chose to kiss you in order to get what she wanted from Caroline," Angela started, but then frowned as realization dawned on her. Blackmail typically contained some type of exchange. She still had no idea what the kiss had accomplished. "What did she actually get by kissing you?"

"Christmas with her family."

Angela raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. "Okay, that's it."

"What?"

"Christmas with her family?"

"Yes. Caroline would arrange for a trailer, you know, the ones that are used for conjugal visits, so she could make Christmas for her family. As the prosecutor in charge of her father's case, Caroline had to sign for it and because she has a puckish side, she decided she wanted to see us kiss under some mistletoe."

"Are you actually hearing what you're saying?" Angela asked, but continued when Booth stared at her blankly. She guessed not. "She kissed you in order for her family to be able to celebrate Christmas. _Christmas_, Booth. You know she dislikes the holiday. She goes to Peru every year to escape from it. Obviously, the choice wasn't very difficult. If she even had the slightest apprehension about kissing you, she wouldn't have done it. Christmas is not that important to her. But she went ahead and did it anyway. I think that should tell you something."

"She didn't go."

"Huh?"

"She stayed and celebrated Christmas with her family. Actually, they weren't allowed to have a Christmas tree in the trailer, so Parker and I brought them one. We put it outside, in the snow, and decorated it. They could see it when they looked out of the window. Plus we hooked it up to the car, so it would actually be lit."

Angela smiled. "That's so sweet."

"She said she loved it."

"Well, I'm convinced."

"I thought you already were."

"Even more convinced," Angela told Booth, who nodded pensively. "Please just find her and plant one on her. She'll kiss you back. No, she'll _love_ you back. I promise."

"Okay."

"Yes?"

Booth smiled. "Yes."

"Oh, I'm so excited… for you."

"Thanks, Angela. For everything."

"No problem. Just go and kiss the girl already."

Without another word, Booth left her office. As soon as he was out of sight, Angela leaned back in her chair and triumphantly thrust her fist up in the air. "Yes, finally!"

She was so happy for her best friend.

And for Booth.

And, admittedly, a little bit for herself as well.

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**_Reviews are greatly appreciated!_**


	2. Confident

**Disclaimer: **Bones is property of FOX, Hart Hanson and Kathy Reichs

**Author's note:** by popular demand I present you with the follow-up to _Confidante_. I hope it lives up to your expectations…

**Spoilers:** I wish…

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**Confident**

Booth leaned against the doorframe of Brennan's office. She sat behind her computer and looked at him questioningly, expecting him to say something. However, facing her, he stood completely tongue-tied. While his stride over to her office had been confident, he felt that feeling slowly washing away now that she was staring back at him with those piercing blue eyes of hers. All his fears returned to the surface and Booth gulped as he realized that Angela's plan fit into the category of being easier said than done. Especially since the artist had been the one to do the talking and he was supposed to be the one carrying it out. Talk about a fair division of labor.

"Booth?" Brennan started, as her normally very talkative partner still hadn't said anything. "Do we have a case?"

Booth shook his head, then coughed. "No." His vocal chords still seemed to work.

He pushed himself away from the doorframe and walked further into her office. He sat down on her couch and looked at her for a moment, then decided they were too far apart for what he was about to do. He stood up again and made his way over to her desk, sitting down across from her. Better, but not good enough. Once again, he pushed himself out of his seat as Brennan watched his every move amusingly.

"What's going on, Booth?"

Standing before her, he first crossed his arms, then uncrossed them again and shoved his hands into his pockets instead. Fingering the poker chip inside, he decided to keep them there for the time being as he finally explained his presence to her. "Well, there's something I need to tell you and something I need to do…"

Brennan waited for him to elaborate on that, but, again, he kept his silence. Realizing this might take a while, she turned back to her computer to save the document she had been working on, then closed it. She folded her hands and looked at her partner, giving him her full attention.

"I guess I should start with the vocal part," he finally continued.

"Vocal is good if you need to tell me something."

"Right."

Brennan smiled, she had never seen him this way. He looked nervous to her and had no clue why. After all, that was his department. Suddenly, her smile turned into a frown. Maybe he had come to give her bad news. Perhaps something regarding her father. Or her brother. Or…

"Did something happen? My father, is he…"

"No, no," Booth quickly interjected before she could finish her sentence. "Nothing like that."

"Then what? Obviously you're nervous about something. You're tense and fidgeting, less talkative than normal. Those symptoms indicate nervousness."

Booth took his hands out of his pockets again, reached over and put his right hand on top of her folded ones. He looked her in the eyes. "I just had a talk with Angela. It was quite an eye-opener, actually. And, well, I think that I should tell you something," he said and cleared his throat. "About how I feel."

"How you feel about what?"

Booth gave her hands a slight squeeze. "About you."

"Oh."

A light blush appeared on Brennan's cheeks and she didn't know where to look as Booth made his way around her desk. Still holding her hands in his, he helped her to stand up. He smiled at her and when she cautiously returned the gesture, he found some of his earlier confidence back.

"I was advised it'd be best if I told you with a kiss," he continued and immediately discovered that being somewhat cryptic made telling her slightly less terrifying.

Brennan, however, frowned. "Is Caroline Julian trying to blackmail us again?"

Booth looked at her incredulously, wondering if she really didn't have a clue. "No…"

"Then what does it mean?"

Booth had to smile a little at hearing her frequently used expression. Then, he decided not to explain with words, but show her with feelings. He brought one of his hands up to her face and placed it gently on her cheek, running the pad of his thumb over the smooth skin. He proceeded by bringing her face closer to his own and then connected their lips in a kiss. He purposefully started it soft and slow, giving her time to get over the initial shock. When it had worn off and she began to respond to the kiss, a flood of relief surged through his body. Angela had been right, so far. She was definitely kissing him back.

Booth couldn't help but think it felt so good to be holding her. To kiss her. To have her kiss him back. Without an audience. And when she moved a hand to his neck, resting it there after pulling him even closer to her, he felt like he was going to explode. There was so much more going on than just the kiss. He could feel the electrifying warmth of her body against his own. The feeling of her hair brushing against the side of his face. The intoxicating scent of her. It all had his emotions stirring and he understood that his whole existence had come down to this moment with her. There were no thoughts of anything before this enchanting moment. No thoughts of what would be when reality would come crashing back into their senses. For now, there were no thoughts. There was only her.

Breathlessly, they pulled back from the kiss. Booth opened his eyes and studied the expression on her face. He thought he recognized hints of fear, confusion and desire in her eyes. He hoped he had at least identified that last one right.

"What does this mean?" Brennan repeated her earlier question, her breathing heavy and her heart racing.

_Time to be brave and finally tell her_, Booth thought to himself. Once again, he lifted his hand up to softly caress her cheek. He amorously smiled at her. "It means that I love you."

Now Brennan was the silent one of the partners and Booth couldn't take it. He needed to know if she reciprocated his feelings.

"Please say something," he said softly. _And please let Angela be right._

"We just kissed and you told me you love me," Brennan summed up, not only to say something—anything—and break the slightly uncomfortable silence, but also in order to try clearing up the many voices in her head. It wasn't often that her heart and mind were talking at the same time and they were all screaming different things at her, confusing her. _There's a line partners shouldn't cross... Give in to your feelings…_ _This is not rational… He's a good kisser… We can't get involved… He'll leave me, too…_ _He's the only man I've ever trusted…_

Booth couldn't help but smile at her reply. It was so typically her. He knew she had to process what had just happed, so he went along with her. "Yes, your observation is quite right. What conclusion do you draw from that?"

"My finding is that…" Brennan started, but paused to smile when realization dawned on her. Not only was he the only man she had ever trusted, he was the only man she trusted enough to let herself fall in love with. If she wasn't already there. Indeed, the thought struck her that she _had_ fallen and the landing had been soft. If possible, her smile widened even more. "I find it's best if I told you with a kiss."

Before Booth could even react to her statement, he felt her soft lips press onto his already. Closing his eyes, he experienced everything all over again—the sweetness, the thrill, the intoxication and, above all, the maximum attainment of his wildest dreams and fantasies. It wasn't just her. It wasn't him. It was them, because they fit. Perfectly. And the only reason he pulled back was for lack of oxygen.

"So, what does that mean?" he asked her with a grin.

"Stealing my line, huh?" she laughed, but then turned serious and took hold of his hand, just like he had done earlier. "It means that I love you, too."

And with that last sentence Seeley Booth's confidence was fully restored.

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_**I'd love to hear what you think of this second (and last) part!**_


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